Financially stricken and on the verge of dropping out of the Football League, they had little chance of keeping their best players.
That included talented young goalkeeper David Lawson, who was wanted by First Division side Sheffield Wednesday, as the T&A reported on this day 57 years ago.
The Owls were open to helping the Fourth Division strugglers out, willing to sign three Bradford players, sell them two of their own, and give them some much needed cash in the deal.
Only Lawson was named in Stanley Pearson’s report though, and ultimately, the keeper never went to Hillsborough.
The 21-year-old was hot property, with Cardiff and Darlington also interested, but the Wallsend native, a former Newcastle apprentice, ultimately made the move across West Yorkshire to Huddersfield.
David Lawson makes a save at full stretch for Avenue in 1969. (Image: T&A)
And he got his big chance when the Terriers’ first-choice keeper Terry Poole broke his leg.
Lawson helped Town come 15th in the First Division during his maiden season, but they crashed to relegation a year later, despite excellent wins over title hopefuls Leeds and Derby,
But the young keeper was one of their better players, Huddersfield only conceding 59 goals all season, less than mid-table duo Manchester United and Sheffield United.
And that meant Lawson got a big money move to Everton in the summer of 1972, Harry Catterick paying £80,000 to get his man.
That made him the most expensive British keeper ever at the time, but after two fine seasons as first choice at Goodison Park, inconsistency crept in and he lost his spot.
After making 124 league appearances for Everton, he was sold to Luton for £15,000 in 1978, before ending his career with a stellar three-year spell at Stockport.